The Oak Ridge Planning Commission now has a recommended revised sign ordinance to present to City Council.

The Planning Commission met in its regular session Thursday and had only two items on its agenda.

The Commission amended the city sign ordinance for moving copy signs, or electronic message centers (EMCs) after discussing the issue for nearly a year. It will come before Oak Ridge City Council for approval at a future meeting.

Planning Commission Chairman Terry Domm said the Commission’s recommendation “was about in the middle of the road” compared to other cities’ ordinances.

“Our goal was to have something that would be measurable and enforceable.”

The revised sign ordinance amendments came out of the Planning Commission’s work session on June 13.

If Council approves the amended ordinance, some businesses will have to change their signs, Domm said. He said none, however, would have to relocate the sign.

“We’ve had a lot of discussion with the business community, but we tried to look after the citizens, as well,” Domm said.

The revised amendments include:

• Each message displayed on a moving copy sign (electronic message centers (EMCs) shall be static (sign that includes no animation or effects simulating animation) and depicted for a minimum of five seconds. Transition from one message to another shall be continuous without flashing, change in light intensity, animation or other type of movement between messages except fade-ins/fade-outs of messages is permitted.

• The surface display area for the EMCs shall not exceed 40 percent of the overall allowable sign area for pole signs and 50 percent of the overall allowable sign area for ground signs, and not to exceed 70 percent of the overall sign surface display area. For pole signs only, the EMCs shall be located on the bottom portion of the overall sign.

Domm explained the 50 percent for ground signs is an incentive for businesses, stating Commission thinks ground sign are more attractive. The allowable sign area is only the integrated digital portion, he said.

• Ground signs that include EMCs shall not be located within 100 feet of any residential uses, residential zoning districts, or public parks. Pole signs that include EMCs shall not be located within 200 feet of any residential uses, residential zoning districts, or public parks. This measurement shall be made from the sign structure to the nearest residential or public park property line.

• Outdoor athletic fields with permanent seating shall be allowed to have EMCs, provided that the display is: Used only during the sporting event and the activities related to it on the day of the event; EMCs are an integrated part of the scoreboard; Surface display area shall not exceed more than 50 percent of the front face of the scoreboard.

Page 2 of 2 - • For recreational and sporting venues within publicly owned spaces, EMCs may be allowed on a temporary basis for the duration of the event, provided the orientation of the display is not toward the participants/spectators. Live video may be displayed on the temporary EMCs for the duration of the event.

• No moving copy sign shall interfere with the effectiveness of an official traffic control device as determined by the city engineer. All such signs shall have automatically dimming capabilities, which are via photo cell technology (sensory controlled), which shall adjust to ambient light conditions via gradient change. The brightness of such signs shall not exceed 10,000 nits (measured at white levels) during day light hours and not to exceed 750 nits at night. For the purpose of this section, night shall mean apparent sunset as determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). All applications shall include a letter from the sign manufacturer to verify the dimming capabilities and brightness of the sign. No sign permit shall be issued without certification of the manufacturer regarding brightness capability of the EMC sign. The owner of such sign is responsible for making any adjustments to the brightness of the sign following notice by the city of non-compliance with these requirements.

The Commission met in a special-called meeting in April to discuss the sign ordinance and possibly make new recommendations to Council. However, members instead decided to postpone taking action on the ordinance issue at meeting in May.

The current sign regulations were adopted in 2003.

The moving-copy sign issue came up last fall when residents in the Palisades neighborhood, and others, express concerns about the new sign at the Riverside Grille. In December, the city sent out letters to about 18 business owners whose signs were apparently in violation of the city ordinance, but the letters were later withdrawn.

The Planning Commission also last week approved a request for a one-year extension letter of credit in the amount of $154,850 for Centennial Village Harbour Pointe, Phase B.